Are you pregnant and craving an adult beverage but feel too guilty to indulge? You may be able to pour yourself that glass after all because yet another study has come out stating that a drink a day isn’t hurting your baby.

When my wife was pregnant we had a trip planned to California wine country. She was obviously not happy with the idea of not being able to sample the wine, so we asked her doctors. Every doctor in the collective said a glass or two would not be a problem (they also had very relaxed views on sushi and forbidden cheeses – as long as it was from places we trusted).

Europe has had more relaxed views on imbibing since Americans started studying the effects of drinking while pregnant. My family was certainly very relaxed on the subject. Doing a little research, most of the articles on the topic come up with the same statement (more or less): doctors think moderate drinking while pregnant is okay, but they can’t seem to agree on the number of what is considered to be acceptably moderate, so the advice boiled down to just avoid the stuff. Newer studies seem to suggest a glass of wine or beer is okay with dinner, meaning this all comes down to personal comfort levels (as it should).

Almost all of the articles point to a study from a few years back that tested 10-year-old children’s balance (their mothers admitted to drinking while pregnant to be a part of the study). The children didn’t seem to be impaired in any way compared to children of mothers that abstained while pregnant. In summary, because children of mothers that enjoyed a few beverages 10 years ago have good balance, you may be able to have a glass of wine with your baked chicken.

Happy Friday!

What are your thoughts on moderate drinking while pregnant? Did you enjoy a beverage while you had a bun in the oven?

Recent posts

I kind of think the ‘when’ is important too. I think a glass during the second trimester is okay but not during the first when they are still developing (and not that most women would want one then anyways). And to be honest–I’m nearing the end of my 2nd pregnancy and I haven’t had a drink (besides communion wine) with either. I’d rather be safe.

Gina

If there is no harm in abstaining and unknown harm from imbibing, why not abstain? It’s less than a year and if you cannot let it go then…

Elizabeth

Wow this is not going to end well.

Danielle A

I never in my life drink alcohol so I don’t understand why this is difficult at all.

Alex

I had the occasional small glass. I can practice moderation, and I am confident that the occasional glass of wine was far less harmful to my fetus than the gallons of preservative laden ice cream and fast food burgers other pregnant mothers would brag about eating.

I also ate sushi, but from a place I trusted. A few days before my due date, my husband took me to our last dinner out as non-parents, where I got a million evil stares and a few snarky comments for daring to have a small (3 oz) glass of wine with my delicious fresh salmon sashimi. Why do other people care so much? Science says its okay!

http://40weekstofatherhood.com Ekey

I think Alex hit the nail on the head. During my wife’s pregnancy we heard from MANY people (doctors and mothers) saying a glass of wine was OK. But the stares that came with ordering a glass of wine while out (or even just the grief from non-parent friends while at home) was too much for my wife.

Elizabeth

People are just trying to justify this so they can feel lea guilty about it. Why take the risk how much selfish is society going to get?

http://babycenter gwemom

I was too worried when I was pregnant with my first. The most I had was a third of a glass of wine when I was hanging out with my sis and BFF. I would think a glass every so often wouldn’t be a big deal but I wouldn’t do it everyday either.

CC

I had a small (minuscule really) glass of champagne to toast a friends mile stone birthday with my first DD. This time round, my cousin got married when I was 8 weeks and yes, I had a glass of wine with dinner and a sip of champagne for the toast. I don’t think it will have caused any harm.

I would think that people would have more of an issue with occasional cigarettes during pregnancy than one glass of wine here and there.

AS

Amen to #5. It isn’t about not being able to go without alcohol for 9 months. It is being about to partake in something you enjoy. I for one like wine, I don’t drink to get drunk most of the time. I enjoy the flavor and a glass is the ritual at the end of a long day. But it bothers me when people criticize those who chose to partake in an occasional beverage while pregnant, but still hit up McD’s; Taco Bell (ie any place that adds SAWDUST to their food). I’m not criticizing people for indulging in a pregnancy craving for fast food, at all; but there are a lot of things that are just as bad.

Now while I was pregnant I rarely took more than a sip or two of a beer/glass of wine. I abstained from about everything because I had high anxiety and it helped me worry less, but I don’t see anything wrong with it.

Biggest problem with this advice in our country is that it seems the majority of people here can’t do anything in moderation, it is always one extreme or another, so I hope that all women will handle it responsibly.

Brianna

I guess to me, it’s what do you consider moderation? I personally don’t consider one glass of wine a day moderation. one glass a week maybe. I think there is a grey area between totally abstaining, and having a glass every single day.

I’m not a big fan of alcohol so it was no problem for me to give it up, my personal opinion is that you should be able to give anything up, or at least cut down for the sake of your baby. It’s only 9 months.

That’s just me though, I really don’t care what other people do with their bodies and their kids 😉

Nameless

How many studies support one drink a day? Are those studies vetted against rigorous academic standards? Is it even ethical to have test groups like this that are well controlled with alcohol consumption? I imagine not as this is the case with medications.

I can’t see the harm of a couple of small drinks per month at the rate of one per sitting, but up to one per day does not sit right with me. I will need more evidence to persuade me otherwise, and that will be difficult to get. Besides, it is only nine months of abstinence (or very minimal intake), and you might as well get used to kiboshing your alcohol consumption before you are a parent and need your faculties at 100% functionality all of the time.

Linde

Why risk it?

FASD Researcher

The research in this area has grown considerably in the last 10 years.

Studies with humans consuming light to moderate amounts of alcohol during pregnancy have had mixed findings. Some studies find significant effects with social levels, with 1 drink a day being associated with deficits in multiple areas. Other studies have not found effects. Some of these studies evaluated younger children or examined less affected areas of functioning. Effects tend to be most apparent with older children and on more complex tasks relative to non-affected peers.

In contrast, research using various animal models (and yes mice, rats, sheep, etc show facial features and behaviors consistent with FAS) have shown clear relationships with moderate levels of alcohol consumption and damage to specific parts of the brain and behavior and cognitive tasks. Animal models provide clear conclusions about the relationship between alcohol and brain damage because you can control for other factors such as genetics, nutrition, and environment that can not be controlled in human research. A recent review on this topic is linked below.

While facial features and primary organ structures form during the first trimester, the brain is developing throughout pregnancy and can be affected anytime (note: it also continues to develop throughout adolescence and young adulthood). All types of alcoholic beverages can produce the same effects and binge drinking (4 or more drinks) has the worst outcomes.

Unfortunately, many doctors are not well informed on this topic or are aware of the most up to date research. It is not well covered in medical education. I can appreciate how confusing it is with all the mixed information out there. I hope that you consider this information and help provide the most accurate information possible to women so they can make the most informed decision for themselves.

Note: I am a researcher and clinician working with children and families with FASD. Women drink during pregnancy for a variety of reasons including misinformation and severe alcohol dependence. Judgement is not helpful, but providing accurate information and eliminating or reducing harm to the baby is helpful.

http://sharingmyjennarocity.blogspot.com Jenna

I am an alcohol drinker (moderate alcohol drinker) and when I was pregnant, I really thought I would be OK with drinking a glass of wine. Even before I was showing in a restaurant, meaning, before others could look at me and judge, I felt uncomfortable about it, for some reason. I don’t think it’s wrong, but there was just something about ingesting something into my body where another human was living that I knew wasn’t exactly good for it. To each his own on this topic – it’s just one of those that’s like, better safe than sorry, I guess. Although, when my husband would drink a frosty Blue Moon occasionally, I am not going to pretend it didn’t look like the most delicious thing on the planet. I would have one sip, just to indulge that taste, but that’s all I could do.

Ashley

How big is a glass? I don’t drink wine when I’m not pregnant, therefore when I am pregnant, I don’t drink. However, if we are talking a few sips a day…go for it. A filled to the brim wine glass? Eh..probably not a great idea. Anything in moderation won’t hurt you. Its the “moderation” that is key, and those who can’t limit their intake if they start drinking are the ones who shouldn’t risk it.

Chelsea

The “why risk it” comments always make me laugh.

I’m leaving tonight to visit a friend who lives three hours away. Should I not go because I might get into an accident? After all, the trip isn’t necessary so why risk it, right?

The truth is that every day, we all make a MILLION risk/reward decisions, and we are all doing our best to make the right decision. Alcohol is one such decision and studies like this one help to clarify that decision making process, so I’m always happy to see them!

I’m 20 weeks now and haven’t had a full drink yet, but I have almost no doubt that I will by the time my pregnancy is over. And I’ve been taking guilt-free sips of my husband’s drinks since I found out I was pregnant.

AS

A glass should be a serving = 5 oz.

Amanda

To those asking why risk it, I would ask you, risk what? Are there any documented cases of FAS resulting from light to moderate drinking by the mother during pregnancy? Do some of you really think a few glasses of wine or beer while pregnant are more dangerous than a lot of the crap we eat in the US filled with artificial colors and flavors and other chemicals?

Cassey

If one full glass daily is considered hard on an adult set of kidneys, why out your baby’s kidney through the straining of their kidneys while they are still developing? Maybe a few sips once or twice a week, BUT DAILY? I’m a huge wine lover speaking.

LK

For those that want to know the risk, why do you care?

I did not drink (through 3 pregnancies) because I did not want to take the chance, and I CAN go without alcohol for the course of my pregnancies, but I understand why people may want to imbibe. There were times I would have killed for a glass of wine. We would be celebrating an important occasion, or I would be with some family and/or friends and would have loved to have one glass to enjoy the company I was with. It was more the fact that when others are having fun, it would be nice to have some fun too and be sociable (or a case of we want what we cannot have!! :). Case in point–for my husband’s last office Christmas party the party was at a local winery, and they had wine tastings as part of the dinner, plenty of bottles of wine at the tables, and each employee got to pick out a bottle of wine to take home. I sat there and pretended to sip some wine (we had not shared with his company yet) while my husband would sneak the glass away. Because the liquid of choice for the dinner was the wine, I was never offered anything else to drink. I WAS THIRSTY! Finally I was able to get some water, but a person can only drink so much water….

http://chicklit-books.com Bethany Ramos (@bethany_ramos)

I did my research and had 2 glasses a week in both pregnancies and now have 2 very healthy boys. This shouldn’t be a panic-driven issue. Other countries are okay with drinking moderately, and research backs it up. If I’d read this study, then I would’ve had a glass of wine a day! I was missing out!!

Amy

For me, moderation means NOT daily. Anything done daily is routine consumption, which is where the danger lies in the consumption of any substances.

With that said – every woman must consider what the best decision is for her and her baby’s well-being. If the benefits and risks are actually thoroughly considered before a decision is made, then you’re doing great. As pointed out by others, many don’t consider the risks they are taking when they eat fast-food (which is often done daily and thus, is very dangerous) or partake in numerous other activities.

I personally never enjoyed alcohol pre-pregnancy so have no reason to consider drinking now. However, I have a history of severe depression and have been on a low-dose of an anti-depressent for 10 years that I have decided to continue taking during my pregnancy. Since I take it daily, I would never say I take it in moderation, but I would say that the potential benefits and risks were weighed and an informed decision was made, in the best interest of myself and my baby.

If you’ve made a sound, informed decision – don’t let ANYONE who wasn’t a part of your decision-making process let you feel guilty! Every woman and every pregnancy is unique.

Denise

I agree with Nameless and Cassey. I can see a glass here or there for special occasions (and one glass is 5 ounces or less, some wine glasses hold 12…that is 2.5 glasses), but one glass a DAY!! Sorry, but someone that drinks alcohol every single day of their lives and can not go without, is an alcoholic. Every alcoholic says that they are “moderate” drinkers@@@. Way to make women doing stupid things feel less guilty and way to promote fetal alcohol syndrome.

Elena

A person that has a glass of wine everyday is an alcoholic?!!! I grew up in Italy and most adults have a glass of wine with their lunch and dinner. According to you, half of the country has a serious alcohol problem… How ignorant of you!

http://chicklit-books.com Bethany Ramos (@bethany_ramos)

@Elena I couldn’t agree more!!!! A glass a day has health benefits, etc. etc. And what about other harmless habits, like daily coffee, tea, or soda? Come on.

Cassey

Ladies, I guess you all have n’t heard of or had babies with kidney problems at birth or problems with their kidneys later on in their adulthood. A glass daily could’ve been the reason or might not of, but knowing two of the children now I’m not going to risk it on a glass a day. Oneish a week doesn’t look so bad to me now. And hey, if a chain smoker can give up their addiction for their baby (with withdraws and all) then I don’t see how hard it would just be to give up for five-six glasses a week and just have one-two.

Sarah

Really? Why chance it? Personally I’m not a drinker and don’t understand why people would risk their babies health in the first place. Seems selfish to me.

meagan

I wouldnt do it but im not going to judge anyone who does!

Katie

Has anyone ever heard of fetal alcohol syndrome? One sip can cause harm to your unborn child. But I also will not give weird stares, evil looks or judge for having a drink while pregnant. I just refuse to!

aari

LOl I think u should be able to refrain for 9 months without alcohol…I wouldn’t drink no matter what a study says…5 months later it might say how terrible it is no thanks .

Emme

To each their own. I know I had cravings of alcohol through out my pregnancy but never gave in because to me my baby was far more important than a craving. That’s just me I respect whatever your individual decision is in this matter but this is a baby we are talking about and he/she only has you to look after them.

Kail

I know I could say a few things about this, one of the main ones being, that if you say you should abstain from drinking the first trimester…you’re going to have a big problem, seeing as most mother’s don’t know if they’re pregnant until halfway through their first trimester, some not even until their second. If you don’t know you’re pregnant, how can you keep from drinking. I feel a glass every once in a while is alright, and I don’t even get the strange looks. Then again I am in a small country town, and even when I go to the bar, and the bartender even knows that we think I’m pregnant, she still asks me what I want and even if I tell her it’s an alcoholic drink, she doesn’t give me any looks. The other thing is, I heard someone say something about cigarettes and not having those while pregnant. Most women I have known who smoke tell me that if you do, not to quit even if you are pregnant, as that can cause shock to the baby and end up with more damage than if you smoked. Not only that but that smoking only does one thing to the baby and that’s lower their birth weight. I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t mind that, knowing that on the baby’s father’s side of the family, birth weight is anywhere between 15 and 20 lbs and that being diabetic there’s going to be a high birth weight as well. I wouldn’t think it such a bad thing myself. In all honesty that’s my opinion.

Brittany

Although personally I wouldn’t drink, I’m also not a big beer or wine drinker to begin with. I can say, though, that my mom told my sister and I that when she was pregnant with each of us, she would have a small glass of beer every so often (maybe every 3-4 weeks or so). I can also say with confidence that both of us are not only fine (she is an honor student in college, and I had my IQ tested when I was 8 for an honors school and landed an average of 128-134 and am an honors college student as well), but our kids are amazingly intelligent as well (my two year old does preschool work books for fun). If I were a wine drinker, I may have a small glass every few months or so and still feel comfortable and ok. But I’m just not a drinker, even when I’m not pregnant.

christina

My opinion: When I was 22 and pregnant with my oldest, I was so obsessed with being healthy. I would not have ice cream, any sweets, microwaved foods, chocolate of any sort, soda, caffeine, or diet anything. Baby was born healthy, but I spent years dealing with coughing and horrible ear infections. I did however, eat lobster because I did not know we were not suppose to eat that while pregnant in 1998. 2012 pregnant again: I ate chocolate like it was going out of style, I microwaved, drank small amounts of caffeine free soda, and ate sushi…yes uncooked fish(Oh did I crave that!) And lo and behold, it was considered OK to eat lobster in 2012! I even had 2 glasses of wine. Once in 2nd trimester, one in 3rd trimester. Baby #2 is healthy as an ox. 2013, 3rd pregnancy: less chocolate(trying not to gain so much weight!), but I had a glass of wine in my 2nd trimester at a wedding. Took me about 2 hours to sip and savor it. Everything in moderation is the key. The things we are allowed to consume changes so often. When I was young, I knew someone who drank a glass of red wine with dinner every night. It was considered healthy. Personally, I would not do that, but her daughter was born perfectly fine. Wine has a somewhat low alcohol content(between 12.5% and 14.5%)

Jac

I find it interesting that people keep saying “go 9months without alcohol” like if you cant go the better part of year without wanting this there is something wrong with you. Believe it or not there are people in this world that just really love the taste of wine. It has nothing at all to do with the alcohol. Think of something else you enjoy and imagine giving it up for a whole year. A year without chocolate milk, potato chips, cookies, butter. Just because some level of exposure could be harmful. We all do this pregnant or not. We look at the risks and decode if the enjoyment of eating the donut is worth the long shot its trans fats will kill you. Most of us pick the donut. Doesnt make you an addict. As someone who is 27 weeks pregnant, I can and probably will go the whole time without any adult beverages but if someone had told me I couldnt have chocolate milk this whole time you can bet your butt I would be complaining about it and looking for research proof that its bad for the baby.

mags

I’m currently 36 weeks along and have had no alcohol with this or my first pregnancy. I don’t even ingest caffeine. I’m sure a glass of coffee and wine a day would be fine, but I figure why take the risk? I care about my kids too much to do something completely unnecessary that might jeopardize their well-being.

christina

just to clarify; when I said I spent years dealing with coughing and ear infections, I meant my oldest had those problems…not me. FYI

Amanda

You don’t hear about AFS hurting babies because women have been warned about drinking while pregnant. So they don’t do it, it doesn’t happen…

I also think there’s a big difference between having a drink every day as an American and having a drink every day as an Italian. In America I think it is more of a party beverage. In Italy it sounds more like a cup of coffee. I also think that a lot of my fellow Americans are…well, dumb…and they will take this as “break out the keg and do some shots. I’m going to teach this baby to party!”

Lisa Smart

I just wanna say, I have drank RED wine with all 3 of my pregnancies, (which was first okayed by my first obgyn) and all of my kids are exceptionally beautiful and smart!! They’re all above average as far as milestones from my youngest (8 mos, whos already standing and saying words) to my oldset (10 yrs who is in gifted and talented, and has never not achieved honor roll) Am i saying wine contributed to thier smarts? no, after all I am thier mother (haha!) But what I am saying is, speaking from MY eperience,an occasional glass of wine has not affected thier development or growth that I can see, and none of them have ever had medical problems besides the average kid stuff.. To each thier own, I mean when pregnant, each woman has to do whats right for them during thier pregnancy.. But if a glass of wine at night helps ease the discomfort from your huge belly and swollen feet, then I say go for it!

Samantha

I indulged in a glass every once in a while during my first pregnancy. I didn’t drink every day, but for special occasions I allowed myself one glass without feeling guilt. My son was born without any health problems. Even now, I’m 5 weeks with our second… My birthday in 6 weeks and a small glass of wine sounds like the perfect celebration to me. Some people worry entirely too much about what others are doing and what people will think of them. If you don’t want to then don’t…. No one is telling you that you HAVE to drink a glass every day

Sarah

I had a half a glass every other day with both my kids (after the first trimester, of course). We are wine makers and it is very ingrained in our family culture. We typically drink 2-3 glasses a day as part of our work so to not drink at all was daunting. At events, I sipped/spit. At dinner I sipped slowly and didn’t ever even get “buzzed”. My doctor told me it was better to have a relaxed mama, but I shouldn’t overdo it. My kids are fine and even enjoy a drop or two of the vino with their dinner. If you don’t want to do it, don’t do it.

Umi

I keep hearing all of these ‘Better Safe Than Sorry’ excuses, which is so typical in our strange American paranoia. By that I mean, we worry so much about one substance that has had quite a bit of scrutiny and study over the years, where it has resounded loud and clear that a moderate intake (like, I have a beer or glass of wine with dinner as those drinks are imbibed in many traditional cultures) is not harmful, while at the same time we eat all sorts of foods processed with chemicals and sprayed with pesticides and fertilizers, use cosmetics with known toxins for ingredients, cook with plastics that are known to leach into our food, breathe in fumes from household cleaners…. etc, the list could go on forever, and never bat an eye. But we go and worry about alcohol because it’s an easy target.
This dude isn’t saying to go and get drunk while you’re pregnant: no one is saying that’s ok and it’s been absolutely shown that it is harmful to your baby (and you too probably). For most things, the poison is in the dose, and I guess as I alluded to above, if one is going to stay away from alcohol out of some fear instilled in them that it’s not worth a risk that probably doesn’t exist then that person should work on staying away from every potential toxin that you can voluntarily expose to yourself while you’re at it.

Tiff

I think it’s funny how fast people are to jump down women’s throats about having a glass of wine when pregnant. When it’s also recomended to stay away from caffeine, Aspertame or any artificial sweeteners (which is in almost everything these days), lunch meat, soft serve ice cream, and cigarettes (smoking or second hand smoke), just to name a few. Most mefications that are “okay” for pregnant women also carry risks to the baby. I bet a lot of people who are saying how awful pregnant women who have a glass of wine are, probably had something on the “not recommended” or “could harm baby” list. You shouldn’t be drinking bottles of wine obviously but saying how bad one drink is is silly. Because you also shouldn’t be chewing gum (aspartame), eating a hot dog, or having some chocolate (caffeine). It’s more about moderation and eating healthy with occasional indulgences.

Nana

Well with my first LO i took a sip here and there of other peoples drinks, and she is just fine. Now with my second LO I am still taking a sip here and there. By here and there I mean at most 5 sips once a month.
My mother said back in her day alot of people drank while pregnant and look at how we all turned out, I am just fine and so are my siblings.
I like frozen beverages so when I have craving I just order a virgen so I can still satisfy my craving.

Deanna

I think the stress from worrying about drinking a glass of wine, smoking a cigeratte, eating sushi, and all the other no no’s when you’re pregnant is worse than actual doing it. I had to take pain meds when I was pregnant. I have fibromyalgia. The dr said it was okay because the stress( and when im in pain my BP is really high) I would have gone through without them would have been worse
then actually taking them, but I had to take the smallest dose and taper off completely towards the end so my son wouldn’t come out addicted. He is an smart, big 2 year old. Just relax and enjoy yourself and everything in moderation.

laurap

This question is narrow in scope and just one to get a rise out of us moms (as usual). Considering newer science showing how mommy passes on 90% of her gut flora to her baby at birth and then continues to pass more flora (whether it is in a good state or bad state) through breastmilk, is might be how mommies today and going forward need to think about what they eat,, drink, put on their bodies and smell. Alcohol is one tiny sliver of an issue. Alcohol is sugar. Most likely the average mommy is eating and drinking more sugar daily than they need (this includes all wheat products as well the obvious treats- -even ones made with honey or alternative sweeteners. It boils down to two facts: Your body is a vessel and it is no longer “all about you”( for the next 30+ years give or take the economy :)! And it is not abstaining for 9 months. If you breastfeed you wont be drinking alcohol for a while (and maybe many other things you used to think you can’t live without when your LO can’t digest your breastmilk). And now am betting if you read this you think I am not drinking. With number one I enjoyed a total of two drinks-very small amounts for flavor. Technically all alcohol but certain white wines didn’t sound good. If it did I might hhave sipped just a little more Currently pregnant with #2 (a boy) and wine is the last thing I want. My cravings are margaritas, top shelf cuervo and rum, single malt scotches and beer-everything I enjoyed well over a decade ago before even meeting my now husband. We think we are giving birth to a frat boy incarnate:)!

Mafalda

Great idea. Just go ahead and tell them they do not have to change their lives even the slightest bit for that new life inside of them.

Jessica

What I think is really funny is how the mothers who are against it think its really risky to harm your baby but I bet when they wanted to stick a needle in your belly to make sure you child is okay and they knew all the risk that comes with that, they said yes I want to know with out a second thought, when they told me I should get that procedure done I said heck no I don’t want to put my baby at risk for per-term labor even if my child had something i.e down syndrome what would they have been able to do to change that I thought to my self no matter what happens when my baby comes out I will love her no matter what, Also after seeing about 3 of my old friends drink them self under the table while pregnant and all of them having health children I thought either there really lucky or maybe people are thinking a little to much about drinking while pregnant

MSA

Have you ever seen a child with FAS? Ever dealt with an adult with FAS? If you did – you’d understand the reason why people ask “why risk it”. To each their own in terms of what you do while you pregnant, but just remember that not everybody is the same. My mother trains pre-school teachers who have to deal with kids with FAS and she has proven research which shows the logic we should all be using.. EVERYONE IS DIFFERENT. A mother who drank heavily throughout her pregnancy gives birth to a perfectly normal and fine child. Another mother had the occasional drink now and again and her child is born with FAS. So that’s why you ask the question – why risk it? Not all kids with FAS show the physical signs of it, some of them only have the mental problems associated with it and you just never know. I love my red wine, but I did without throughout my pregnancy.

Hot Topic

Note: This is a fun post spoofing a popular series on one of my favorite technology blogs. The boy scouts have a motto “always be prepared.” My son doesn’t know that because he is 3. But he does like to be prepared in case an adventure (or a 30-minute ride to his grandparents house) presents… Read more »